差点儿

差點兒

chàdiǎnr

adverb #8,510

Meanings

1 almost; nearly
2 narrowly (missed)

Characters

to lack; short of

Lacking just a little bit — almost happened.

Examples

我差点儿迟到了。

Wǒ chàdiǎnr chídào le.

I almost arrived late.

他差点儿忘了带钥匙。

Tā chàdiǎnr wàng le dài yàoshi.

He almost forgot to bring his keys.

差点儿就成功了！

Chàdiǎnr jiù chénggōng le!

We almost succeeded!

Tips

grammar

For undesirable things: 差点儿 + verb = almost (but didn't): 差点儿摔倒 (almost fell). For desirable things: 差点儿没 + verb = almost didn't: 差点儿没赶上 (almost didn't make it).

usage

差点儿 and 差一点 are interchangeable. 差点 (without 儿) is also common.

Stroke Order

差 chà

点 diǎn

儿 ér